EDITORIAL Monday, February 19, 2007

Be good to your heart

KNOW your way to health.
This emerges as an important insight from the three-part special report Sun.Star Cebu ran last Feb. 12, 13 and 14. “Achy, breaky heart” coincided with Valentine’s Day, which celebrates the heart’s sentimental and commercial associations
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But recent trends have shown this vital organ to be under attack. Affecting the heart and blood vessels, cardiovascular disease, writes Cherry Ann T. Lim in her Feb. 12 introduction to the special report, accounts for the most number of deaths in the country.

Not only has the casualties of heart disease increased to 37 percent in recent years, the young are also vulnerable to it.

Bad deals
Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) affect one in 500 schoolchildren, according to the Department of Health. In Rianne C. Tecson’s Feb. 12 report, Dr. Anna Marie Santos-Cabaero, president of the Philippine Heart Association Cebu chapter, attributes CHDs to three causes: maternal intake of medication that causes malformation of the fetus; viral illnesses, like German measles and chicken pox, affecting the pregnant mother; and heredity.

The risk for CHD increases when either parent or a sibling has CHD. Dr. Philip Chua of the Cebu Cardiovascular Center of the Cebu Doctors’ University advises women with CHD to see a genetic counselor or specialist before deciding to get pregnant. In Tecson’s Feb. 13 report, Cabaero urges parents to be diligent in bringing their infants for regular check-ups so CHD can be detected early. During pregnancy, mothers should take extra precautions not to catch viral illnesses, as well as avoid medications not prescribed by the obstetrician.

Heart disease can also be acquired, Tecson’s Feb. 12 report reveals. Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) affects one out of 1,000 schoolchildren in the country. As RHD commonly strikes the lower socio-economic bracket living in crowded conditions and practicing poor hygiene, Cabaero emphasizes parental responsibility.

Bad choices
Those born with healthy hearts essentially decide whether their organ remains that way. Jujemay G. Awit’s Feb. 12 report cites the main triggers of ischemic heart disease or coronary artery disease (CAD): fatty diets, lack of exercise, obesity, stress, smoking, alcohol intake and illegal drug use.

One in 20 adults, aged 40 years and older, suffer from CAD. Partly because of their love for fatty and salty food, Cebuanos and Central Visayans are among those with the highest mortality rates.

Due to the ageing of blood vessels, the aged are always vulnerable to CAD. But due to fast foods, smoking and drinking, the young are also prone to hypertension, which increases the risk of heart disease.

In Awit’s Feb. 13 report, preventive measures like self-moderation and discipline are advised by medical experts, especially as the procedures and medication needed to treat heart disease are expensive.

The cost of regular screening, a must for the genetically predisposed, ranges from the low (P75 for glucose test) to the high (P50,000 for an angiogram or X-ray of blood vessels). While Cebu City has three private hospitals that can perform specialized procedures for the heart, surgery is not cheap. Coronary bypass at the government-owned Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center costs at least P500,000.

Heart operations, while having high success rates, do not rule out future risks of heart disease.

Bad vibes
Those who want to avoid expensive surgery and medication for lifetime maintenance can turn to alternative or integrative medicine. In the Feb. 14 report of Mayette Q. Tabada, some medical practitioners and centers have began implementing Republic Act 8423, which is the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997.

One such advocate is Dr. Romy Paredes, whose Bio-Integrative Healthlink Center gives the “holistic management option” to ailing patients, specifically chelation, an alternative therapy removing heavy metal pollutants from the body to lower cholesterol levels, increase energy and treat cardiovascular disease.

According to self-described herbalist, psychic and etheric healer Lilia Colina of the Center for Traditional and Alternative Medicine, set up by the IPI Foundation, alternative medicine proposes health care modalities like reflexology, chiropractic and nutritional therapy to complement conventional medicine.

Whether one’s inclination is for the mainstream or the alternative, Paredes’ exhortation is relevant: a person can be an activist for his own health by making informed choices.